Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter

(Acts 12:24-13:5a; John 12:44-50)

The prophets and teachers convene to pray in Antioch in today’s first reading.  They should not be surprised when the Holy Spirit tells them to separate Barnabas and Paul for missionary activity.  From the beginning the Church has had an outward thrust.  It not only promotes holiness among its members but also calls others to God.

Today’s gospel gives a couple of the themes of Christian missionaries.  Jesus is the light of the world.  God has sent him to save humans from condemnation.  Those who follow Jesus will have eternal life.  Those who reject him will be lost forever.

In recent years the Church’s missionary dimension has been called “evangelization.”  With this new name it has an additional focus.  Today the Church’s evangelizing activity addresses those for whom the light of Jesus has been obscured.  It calls back baptized Catholics who no longer practice the faith they were taught.  The evangelizers are people like you and me who act like prospectors entering an abandoned gold mine.  Just as prospectors realize that previous excavations left a lot of gold behind, we know that many alienated Catholics will respond if called back to church.  We have to show them how Jesus, the light, makes all the difference in the world.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot

(Hosea 10:1-3.7-8.12; Matthew 10:1-7)

St. Benedict founded monasteries.  He also was responsible for the “Rule of St. Benedict,” a description of the ideal monastic life.  It might seem, then, that St. Benedict would be honored as a man who promoted retreat.  His name, however, is associated with the evangelization of Europe.  His legacy is similar to that of the apostles whom Jesus sends out to preach in today’s gospel. 

Evangelization is a multi-faceted project.  It is more than telling people about Jesus.  Evangelization includes shaping a culture responsive to the gospel.  For this to be done evangelizers must build churches and found schools.  They have to influence government to allow the people to practice their faith.  And they need to inculcate a sense of Christ being part of the people’s lives all day, every day.  Benedictine monks have been carrying out these practices for fifteen centuries.

Many wonder if Christian evangelization has not come to an end.  In this time of globalization societies are becoming more and more pluralistic.  Moreover, young people in many western countries are abandoning their Christian heritage.  Christian customs and traditions have lost a central place in much of Europe and North America.   Yet Christian culture cannot be lost.  It has Christ himself as its cornerstone.  Furthermore, its supreme value of self-sacrificing love is the deepest desire of the human heart.  We need other Benedicts to retrace the way.

Homilette for January 8, 2008

Tuesday after Epiphany

(Psalm 72:1-2; 3-4; 7-8)

Recently the Vatican Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement on evangelization. The congregation serves as a watchdog against errors that creep up in the Church. The recent statement typically had a tone of correction. But the faithful, even the theologians whom the Congregation had in mind, should take the document as an aid to understanding our faith.

The statement reaffirms the need to go out and “make disciples of all nations.” We cannot be content with missionary activity, whether at home or abroad, that only seeks to assist human development. Missionaries, which all Christians in a sense become by virtue of Baptism, must strive to convince people by words and deeds that Jesus is Lord and invite them to worship him. Evangelization does not mean proselytizing in its current sense of imposing one’s religion on people of other faith traditions by criticizing those traditions and alluring them with material rewards.

The responsorial psalm today indicates why evangelization is such a critical need. We believe that Jesus is both the king and the king’s son. When the whole world comes to worship him, peace will reign among nations and justice will spring up among all people. All this will occur because Jesus’ law is the Holy Spirit which transforms human hearts.